


Let The Others See You've Got Your Victory

by loveleedstolarry



Series: Through Strangers' Eyes [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, if you squint Nick's mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-03
Updated: 2013-03-03
Packaged: 2017-12-04 05:15:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/706968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveleedstolarry/pseuds/loveleedstolarry
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"He decides to call the boy with curly hair Curly- for obvious reasons- and the shorter lad Peter, because he reminds him of that Disney movie about the boy who found everything funny and never wanted to grow up."</p><p>Or..</p><p>A stranger's take on Louis and Harry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let The Others See You've Got Your Victory

**Author's Note:**

> This may be a little confusing to follow because the stranger does not get a name. So it's just 'he'.
> 
> Title taken from the song 'Shine On' by NEEDTOBREATHE (I've never listened to it, I just need a lyric).

➜ [Read on Tumblr](http://ithinkhesalwaysbrave.tumblr.com/post/44472007740/let-the-others-see-you-ve-got-your-victory)

+

He had been watching the boy with feathery looking hair ever since he had entered the bar. With an ass like that it was hard not to notice him. He watches as the boy makes his way over to the bar where a boy with curly hair is currently washing down the counter from a drink someone had spilled earlier. The two converse for a while and he is pretty sure they're flirting. He's proven right when something the shorter lad says makes the boy with curly hair pout. The other boy just smiles in what appears to be a triumphant matter before reaching out with a rather small hand to tangle his fingers in the two necklaces that the taller boy is wearing. Using them to pull the boy forward a bit, he still has to stretch up on his tip toes in order to kiss the curly haired boy. When the boy starts to pull back, he can hear- even from over here- the whine that escapes the boy with curly hair's lips as he follows the other boy's lips. The shorter lad just snickers- actually snickers- but just pulls the boy closer, allowing their lips to touch again.

He decides to call the boy with curly hair Curly- for obvious reasons- and the shorter lad Peter, because he reminds him of that Disney movie about the boy who found everything funny and never wanted to grow up.

Peter seems to be perfectly content to continue kissing Curly, but that could just be because both his feet are flat on the ground again. Curly though is now stretched halfway across the table in his efforts to keep kissing. His biceps are bulging against the short sleeves of the black t-shirt he has on due to him supporting most of his weight on them. He notices how Peter is still holding onto Curly's necklace, except he's dropped one. It appears to be a little silver plane. He wonders what the other necklace is- he hadn't been paying much attention to Curly's accessories before they had been taken hostage in Peter's hand.

Eventually another bartender with shocking blond hair comes around and smacks Curly on the back of his head with a dishtowel- it's a good thing, too, he thinks, because Peter had pulled back again a little and Curly looked all about ready to crawl up onto the counter in order to keep their lips together.

"Oi!" the blond exclaims. "If you don't stop eating his face you're gonna get fired," he threatens with a heavy Irish accent.

He thinks that that'll be enough for the two to finally come up for air, but to his surprise, Curly just reaches back to blindly kick at his fellow bartender at the same time that Peter just lifts his hand to give him the finger. They must be friends though because with just a mumbled curse, the blond ruffles Curly’s hair before leaving and letting them be.

He wonders if this happens on a daily basis.

It isn't long before a bigger man is coming out from the back and sees them and sighs before they pull apart.

"Louis," he hears the man say. He sounds tired and he decides that yes, this does happen a lot.

It turns out that Peter is Louis because the boy with the nice bum just pulls over a bar stool and sits down on it, his feet barely touching the ground. "Paul," he greets cheerfully.

Paul grunts before asking, "Are you trying to get your boyfriend fired?"

Louis just reaches up to pet at Curly's hair and says, "Just trying to cheer him up."

Paul crosses his arms and looks at Curly. "I'm sorry, is your job boring you?"

Curly blushes and stammers out a "N-no, sir. Of course not."

Louis intervenes and says, "Lighten up, Paul, there's barely anyone here right now." As if to emphasize his point, Louis looks around to take in the few people that are here.

"It could be because everyone's downstairs," Paul says, regarding the fact that there is dance floor below them. "Also known as the place where you're supposed to kiss your boyfriend."

"That is a great idea, Paul, thanks!" Louis says happily, tugging on Curly's hand.

Curly is reluctant though, so they both turn to Paul to get an official okay from him.

Paul sighs and finally says, "Go on, go have your way with him."

"Oh, don't worry, I will," Louis says smugly. "C'mon, Hazza."

He doesn't think that's his name either, so he's going to keep calling him Curly.

Curly begins tugging off his uniform black t-shirt to reveal a long torso lined with abs. A white t-shirt drops down to cover them up though.

"Thanks, Paul!" Curly says before hopping easily over the counter. Louis promptly starts fiddling with Curly's shirt sleeves until their rolled a bit and he figured that Curly was taller than Louis but he didn't realize how much taller till they're standing still, side by side. Once both sleeves get a nod of approval from Louis, the duo start walking towards the steps that lead to the downstairs nightclub.

They're about three quarters of the way there when Paul calls out. "Hey, Lou!"

They slow down to a stop so Louis can twist his upper half so he's looking at Paul. Curly just seems content to looking at the side of Louis' face. He half expects it to start melting under the intensity of Curly's gaze.

"Yeah, Paul?"

"Keep my boy safe, yeah?"

He sees Louis' hand which is sitting comfortably on Curly's hip squeeze it gently. " _My_ boy," he seems to correct. "But yes, of course."

Curly rolls his eyes and he has a feeling that he's used to hearing people telling Louis to look after him. But when he watches as Curly ducks down to nuzzle at Louis' neck, he thinks he doesn't mind it as much as he appears to.

Louis blows a kiss to Paul and Harry waves like an excited toddler. And then they're gone down the steps.

He makes himself get a drink before following them. He doesn't want to appear _too_ creepy. Deciding to make the use of his time by making conversation with the other bartender- his name tag says 'Niall'.

"How long you've been working here?"

"A few months."

"Do you like it?"

"Paul lets me have free drinks most of the time. I love it."

"Paul the boss then?"

"You make him sound so mean-" Niall laughs at the thought- "but yeah, for all intents and purposes, he's the boss."

He waits a little bit before getting to the questions he really wants to ask.

"Those two blokes who were just here...?"

"Harry and Louis," and yeah, he hears two names but for some reason, hearing them from the blond's mouth, it sounds like one. "What about them?" Niall's voice sounds slightly cautious, defensive.

"They together?"

Niall laughs. "They won't put the official label on it and they'll correct anyone who calls them that, but yes, they're together."

"So, if they're together, why aren't they _together_?" He's not sure if his question makes sense but Niall seems to get it.

"Louis has this thing where he thinks that if he doesn't call Harry his boyfriend, then they can never officially break up." Niall snorts. "What a load of bull. But hey, it works for them."

"Harry doesn't mind?" He thinks Harry seemed all too affectionate and cuddly to be okay with a relationship like that.

Niall shrugs. "He's fine with it, as long as he knows he's Louis' favorite, he doesn't have a care in the world."

"So, it's that kind of relationship?"

Niall looks at him before he seems to get how his previous sentence came across. "Oh, shit, no. _God_ , no. Those two are the most exclusive thing ever. I meant it more like, as long as Harry knows Louis' only into him." Niall smiles. "As if that's not totally obvious."

He nods thoughtfully, his drink long gone by now. So he orders another one. Niall's back is turned as he mixes it when he asks, "They dance with other people?"

Niall turns to look over his shoulder and he's got a mischievous look to his eyes. "You fancy a dance with them?"

"Maybe."

Niall laughs, but not in a mean way. Placing his drink down in front of him, he says, "It's cool. They dance with other people. Just..."

"What?"

"Watch what you do around them if you have just one of them."

"What do you mean?"

"I honestly don't know how to explain it, mate. It's like they've got some odd, creepy rules for each other. It's freaky."

"Rules?"

Niall shrugs. "Like I said, it's hard to explain." He smirks then. "If you want to test one, try getting your hand anywhere near Harry's hair."

"Doesn't like people touching it?"

"Oh, no, Haz loves it. Softest thing I've ever felt. It's Louis that's the possessive little bastard. No strangers' hands in 'the curls' is what he says."

"Harry's not as obsessive then?"

Niall barks out a laugh. "Harry? Not obsessive? That's funny. Have you seen the way he looks at Louis?" Niall wipes a tear from his eye. "That's good, mate."

He bites his lip thoughtfully. _These two are odd_ , he thinks. Oh, well normal is overrated. "Okay, thanks man." He slaps some money down and is almost to the steps Harry and Louis had disappeared down about fifteen minutes ago when he hears Niall call after him.

"Yeah?" he inquires.

"I'd advise you not to try anything with them," and he knows he means something more serious than a hair grab.

He's honestly just curious when he asks, "Why not?"

Niall's eyes narrow and he fights the urge to shutter. "Harry may seem sweet and scrawny, but that boy can pack a punch."

"And Louis?"

Niall just shrugs. "Haven't seen that one in action yet."

"Oh," he says, wondering if it's Harry he should worry the most about.

He changes his mind when Niall looks up and he's got this triumphant gleam in his eye. "No one's gotten Harry away from Louis long enough for him to have to worry too much."

He nods and as he's going down the stairs he thinks he's equally afraid of both of them.

+

It's hard to find anyone down in the club.

Almost immediately upon entering he's feeling hot and sweaty just from being around the other people. There's a bar down here as well but no one's there working it. He wonders if it's just there for decoration. He feels the music throbbing against his eardrum and the bass beating under his feet. He tries to avoid stepping on anyone as he tries to find Harry and Louis. He gives up on that attempt after apologizing about ten times to people who don't seem to even realize their feet had been stepped on. He feels different hands grab at him and he wonders how Louis and Harry survive down here, as jealous as Niall made them out to be.

He's very surprised to find them both dancing with different people when he finally spots them in the flashing strobe lights. Although they are dancing pretty close to each other and they keep looking at each other and grinning.

He thinks they're a very odd couple and wonders if the people they're dancing with even notice that the boys' attention is on each other instead of their swinging hips and tight dresses.

He finds someone else to dance with but his gaze is still glued to the two of them. It's the most fascinating thing to watch; them dancing with each other but not _with_ each other. Whenever Harry moves one way, Louis moves another, and vice versa. Harry grins and moves his hand slightly and Louis' eyes narrow and his grip on the girl's hips tighten. He's so busy watching _them_ that he almost misses the girl that Harry's dancing with when she reaches up- almost like she's in a trance- to run fingers through Harry's hair. Harry doesn't seem to mind a bit, even leans down to meet them halfway.

He blinks.

Louis' there- the girl he had been dancing with completely forgotten and lost in the crowd already- effectively cutting off the girl's attempt when he stretches up to whisper something in Harry's ear. He really wishes he knew what it was that Louis said because it makes Harry's moves falter and his hands drop the girl's hips completely. He looks like he's almost under a spell as he listens to whatever Louis is telling him. The girl eventually gets bored and moves away to dance with someone else. Louis seems quite satisfied as he shifts himself so he's standing in front of a still slightly dazed looking Harry. The curly haired boy is brought out of his trance quickly though when Louis stands on tip toes to press a light kiss to his lips. Harry blinks when he pulls away but his hands automatically come up to settle low on Louis' hips. His hands are so big that when he stretches his hands out, his pinky fingers tuck themselves under the hem of Louis' back pockets.

He watches as Harry tangles their fingers so when he raises his hand Louis automatically twirls under their hands; once, twice, and a half so now Louis' back is to Harry. Louis squeezes Harry's hand and Harry smiles happily. He watches as Harry ducks his head down to whisper something in Louis' ear. Or maybe bite it. He can't tell. Louis just smirks and continues to lewdly grind back into Harry.

"Incredible," he breathes.

He highly doubts the guy he's dancing with heard him, but he must have seen his mouth move. He looks behind him to see what he's been staring at and smiles. "Up for a challenge?" he asks.

He doesn't remember nodding or shaking his head, but the guy- Nick he thinks- is suddenly over there. He's got a hand on Harry's shoulder and Louis is openly frowning at him. He wonders if Nick ever tried something with Harry.

He didn't realize he had been openly staring until the three of them are looking back at them. Louis is smirking at him and Harry winks. Nick motions him over and quickly introduces them before running off to dance with a girl with colored hair.

Louis doesn't waste any time, stepping up to him and sliding his small hands around his waist. He's surprised Harry doesn't make a move, but after a shot while of Louis dancing ridiculously close, the shorter lad steps back, pulling him with him. With Louis' back touching his chest again, Harry seems to liven up a bit.

"I'm Harry," he says.

"I know."

Harry raises an eyebrow but doesn't question it.

They dance like that for a while. Louis keeping them in a steady rhythm with every sway of his hips and Harry occupying himself by constantly flicking his gaze between him and Louis. It stays on Louis for the most part though. He never tries anything on either of them, not feeling inclined to find out what would happen if he did. After a while though, he notices that one of Harry's necklaces is tucked under the thin white t-shirt. He'd bet all of his money that it's the one that's not the paper plane.

He asks to see it and Louis shifts so Harry can get to it. Unsurprisingly, Harry picks the chain with the plane attached to it up so it's dangling in front of him.

"Can I see the other?"

Louis' eyes narrow but Harry just shrugs and pulls the second necklace out from under his shirt. "Do you mind...?"

"He does," Louis snaps, but Harry just hushes him and pulls the necklace over his head, handing it over easily. He feels Louis' grip tighten on his waist, like he's afraid he's planning to run away with it.

Their dancing stops completely as the two watching look it over. It's really nothing special. A circle the size of maybe a quarter with a turquoise looking stone set in a silver plate. It's not light nor is it heavy. He wonders what's so special about it that makes Louis scrutinize him as he flips it over. There's a date engraved in the silver backing and he guesses it's an anniversary. He hands it back to Harry but it's Louis' hand that takes it from him.

When Louis drops his death grip on his waist and turns in Harry's arms, he takes that as his cue to leave. He only moves about a couple feet away before turning around to see what happens next. He feels like a creep, but he can't help but watch as Harry automatically ducks his head down so Louis can drop the necklace over his head again, taking the time to carefully adjust it so it's sitting at the center of Harry's chest. 

He honestly isn't a big believer in soul mates or better halves but he thinks he feels something tug deep in his chest when Louis reaches up to tangle some fingers in the taller lad's hair to pull him down to kiss him. Unlike the one at the bar, this kiss isn't long and desperate looking. It's small and sweet. Content. Their foreheads stay rested against each other and even though he can't see what Louis says to Harry since his back is to him, he has a feeling it was 'I love you' because he sees Harry's mouth move around the words 'I love you, too'.

They should look out of place; slow dancing in a pulsing crowd of sweaty, drunk people. But when Louis shuffles forward and rests his head against Harry's chest and Harry's arms tighten around him, looking much like a wall keeping other people out- or keeping both of them in- he thinks he's never seen anything look more natural.

**Author's Note:**

> I sort of like doing this, so there may be other one shots where different people view Harry and Louis. This one was AU, but I don't think all of them will be.


End file.
